After Zhong Yan shared his concerns about hiding his identity, Anby was immediately relieved.
Although she still felt a bit dissatisfied deep down, considering he had done it for her sake, she chose not to make a big deal out of it.
However, that wasn't the only question weighing on her mind.
"If you're Uchiha, then when I saw you and Uchiha appear at the same time—who was the other person?" Anby asked. She had seen with her own eyes both Zhong Yan and Uchiha appearing together, so logically, one of them had to have been a fake.
Zhong Yan's explanation was direct. He formed a hand seal in front of him, and in the next second, a puff of white smoke exploded, revealing a shadow clone with the exact same appearance.
"As you can see, I have the ability to summon a clone of myself. That's why you saw what you did." Zhong Yan—or rather, his clone—explained.
Anby widened her eyes slightly in surprise. She stepped forward to take a closer look at the clone, and to her astonishment, found that in looks, aura, even scent, it was identical to Zhong Yan.
It was practically a perfect clone.
Thinking of the word "clone," Anby's expression froze for a second. Then she stepped back a few paces and nodded. "I see. Makes sense. Truly worthy of the legendary Hollow Raider—Uchiha."
Zhong Yan had no idea why Anby reacted like that. He dispelled the clone and walked forward to gently wrap an arm around her waist.
Feeling the softness under his palm, Zhong Yan closed his eyes and savored the moment for a few seconds.
But what Anby said next froze him on the spot like a bolt from the blue.
"You smell like another girl. That shark girl, right?" Anby sniffed twice, her keen sense of smell immediately picking up something off.
Zhong Yan let go of her waist in a panic and rushed to explain, "No, no! I just went to apologize to her earlier and must've accidentally picked up the scent."
Seeing his flustered expression, Anby narrowed her eyes and delivered a soul-piercing question: "How far did you go with her?"
Zhong Yan, already flustered, was now completely at a loss.
After hesitating for a long time, he knew keeping it a secret would only backfire later. Better to die now than later—maybe being honest would actually help.
"I... I did everything with her," Zhong Yan lowered his head, silently bracing himself for Anby's wrath.
At his admission, the light in Anby's eyes dimmed instantly. She never expected that while she and Zhong Yan had only kissed, Ellen had already gone all the way.
She didn't care who initiated it—what mattered was that the first time she had wanted to give him had already been taken by someone else.
She stood there in stunned silence, as if her soul had left her body.
Zhong Yan didn't know what to do. He wanted to comfort her but feared she might drive him away with just a few words.
However, the silence didn't last long. Once she returned to her senses, Anby reached out and wrapped her arms gently around his neck, then leaned in to whisper into his ear: "Since you went that far with her, then can you do the same with me?"
Zhong Yan froze in place. His brain whirred at lightning speed, trying to comprehend her invitation.
This didn't feel right. He was supposed to be the guy—why was it always the girl taking the initiative?
First Ellen, now Anby.
Was he destined to always be the passive one?
...Not that he really minded.
"What's wrong? Can't do it?" Anby tilted her head, their faces now so close they touched. After the brief intimacy, she pulled back slightly and locked eyes with him, filled with emotion.
Zhong Yan couldn't help but swallow. He looked around and realized Nicole and the others weren't home—probably having cleared out on purpose knowing he'd be visiting.
He glanced at Anby's lovestruck expression again.
At this point, Zhong Yan understood there was no escaping today. So, he gave in, picked her up, and carried her out of the room—then roughly tossed her onto the bed.
Inside the room, passion filled the air.
...
An hour later, the room was finally silent.
Zhong Yan and Anby hadn't fallen asleep. Instead, they sat propped up against the headboard, using the blanket to cover themselves.
The curtains were drawn, casting the room into dim lighting. The only sound was the air conditioner's soft humming.
Even that was nearly drowned out by their breathing.
Looking at Anby lying next to him, Zhong Yan suddenly recalled her full constellation profile in the game.
It turned out that the real Anby was far more thrilling than even the maxed-out version—at least for him, the experience had far surpassed what he had with Ellen.
What could he say—shark tails were nice to touch and all, but when it came down to business, they just got in the way.
"Zhong Yan..." Anby nudged him gently on the shoulder and whispered, "Do you feel a little better now?"
Zhong Yan was briefly stunned. He turned to lie down and looked into her eyes. "Why would you ask that? I never told you I was feeling bad."
"I could tell. I've known for a long time. You haven't smiled the way you did when we first met... not in a long time. So I figured, maybe you weren't doing so well," Anby said, nestling her face into his chest.
As their bodies touched, she felt as if something new and precious was quietly beginning to grow within her.
"That's not it. I've just had more on my mind lately. That's why I can't smile like I used to," Zhong Yan forced a smile—but it was a stiff one.
He suddenly felt guilty. What Anby said was something even he hadn't noticed.
She really was gentle. So gentle, in fact, that he wanted to love her even more.
In that regard... she might even surpass Ellen.
"Say what you want. As long as what I did made you feel even a little better, then that's enough for me. I won't ask for anything more."
As Anby spoke, she rubbed her head lightly against his chest, as though at this moment, she was the happiest person in the world.
But what she didn't know was—
Zhong Yan had already made plans to meet Ellen later that night.